(this is a long post, I hope that's OK)

I'm a new, 1st time Corvette owner. I purchased this 1971 automatic coupe in Oct, 2019. The Corvette has always been my dream car. I started researching and casually looking many months ago. I knew I wanted a C3 and I narrowed in on the chrome bumper years - I just love the looks of them. When my wife saw me surfing the internet and looking at Corvettes she told me, 'well, if you want one we should get one'. I love my wife very much and I realize what a lucky guy I am!

Aside from minor maintenance on my other cars, like oil changes, replacing light bulbs, etc..., I've not done much work, so I have a steep learning curve...but I'm excited to take it on and I know this forum is the place where I will learn so much.

Here we go...


i think she's a beauty. I receive lots of thumbs-up and compliments when I take her out.




vacuums on the wiper door and headlamps work great!


i love the color - exterior and interior. I'm very happy the body and exterior paint are in excellent condition. I have the antenna - it's just off since I keep her covered in the garage

Overall the interior is in really good shape, but there are some wear and tear issues. I assume it's all original, but you all can tell me what you see here.


i do have the original steering wheel. The previous owner said he didn't like the larger wheel. This one does feel good when driving, but I'm considering putting the original back on. Carpet and seats are in great shape


i initially set out looking for a manual, but after driving the automatic I think that's a good thing considering the heavy traffic in LA. The cushion on the e-brake console seems like a modern replacement/add-on?


i'd like to repaint and clean-up some of the faded lettering. My temp gauge doesn't seem to move - even after driving for more than a 1/2 hour. Could that be a thermostat issue? Something else?

Below shows some interior wear, and I wonder if any of this can be REPAIRED, or whether I'd have to REPLACE parts. I'd prefer to repair rather than replace since it involves some large parts (e.g. entire inside door panel, pillars, dash). I'm looking for advice and wisdom on whether patching cracks and missing sections is doable?




passenger door cracks and missing patches. ***** and lettering - more repainting and cleanup to be done




these smaller cracks on the passenger side pillar - maybe easier to repair than the larger missing sections? Looks like the weatherstripping could use replacement. Some rusted and missing chrome, but not too bad




driver's side interior door panel cracks


driver side pillar has significant wear; missing patches


...and weatherstripping looks quite worn


pretty large cracks on the dash speaker grill


...but some of the dash looks great. I'm not overly concerned with the interior cosmetic issues, but if I can repair some or all of them fairly easily then I'd like to give it a try.

I'm extremely happy with the condition of the car. She's a beauty and super fun to drive! The previous owner said the car was his father's, in MD. His dad also has a '65 (I believe) which he is keeping and he gave this car to his son. She's lived out here in CA for a number of years. I can tell the previous owners really took great care of her. I will too!

I did crawl underneath and I'll post pictures of the underside as well as some of the engine. Fortunately the underside looks clean to me - from what I can see only minimal and minor surface rust. There is also a very small leak; just a few drops accumulate after I drive her - transmission fluid I believe based on the color and smell. I'd like to address that.

Well, this is a start of sharing with you what I have. I'm looking forward to hearing thoughts from those of you with knowledge, experience and better-trained eyes.

Cheers all!

 

Looks like a great 71.

i am sure you will find lots of things to keep you busy as you go forward.

Of course i am partial to blue 71’s myself.

 

Congrats. Cruise and enjoy.

 

very nice, love the color wonder why

 

Hi CraigH, I have admired your Corvette even before I got mine, as well as your posts. Great information and pics. You've done some really beautiful restoring. Gives me a lot of ideas and a sense of what lies ahead.

 

Thank you Easy Mike, I will admit, it has been really fun and enjoyable to drive her on the weekends. It has me looking forward to weekends even more for this reason.

 

Thank you SMF! Since she's so new to me I'm not really bothered by the interior issues. I will get to them at some point, tackling the easy things first of course. I too do not intend to drive her in the rain. Good thing I'm in CA!

I like your profile pic of your beautiful Corvette and Gibson. They go together well!

 

Hmmm... it's a mystery! I grew up in NJ - I recognized the color scheme of your plates even in the tiny profile pic. Beautiful Corvette!

 

 

Welcome to the forum and to the world of Corvettes. Nice looking '71.

One option for your original steering wheel if you don't like the feel of it is to have it wrapped in leather. That's what I did to mine. The plastics in the wheel were breaking down a bit and so it always felt a bit sticky to me. Wrapping in leather solved that problem and is more comfortable on the hands.

The temp gauge might be an issue with the gauge itself, the sending unit, or the wiriing. There are some threads on here regarding testing the various gauges. If you don't find what you need with a search, just create a new post about your gauge issue and someone will be along to help.

In regards to repairing your interior pieces, you are looking at a total frame off restoration. Okay, that's a joke but not too far fetched given some of the experiences others have had with these cars. You'll find that once you start a project, it typically leads to another before you can finish the first. Seriously though, I'm thinking you'd be better off with new interior pieces given the amount of damage to your originals. I did some minor repairs to my '73 using one of those vinyl repair kits but my interior is black and the repairs were in an area that wouldn't be very noticeable anyway.

It does look like you are in need of weatherstripping. Note that some vendors supply better quality weatherstripping than do others. CRC weatherstripping is good. Contact Willcox Corvettes (one of the approved forum vendors) and they can fix you up.

Good luck,



DC

 

Nice Corvette but maybe I'm partial to 1971's

Your temp guage maybe a wire off the block sensor. Drivers side, a single wire connect to the sensor in the area of the spark plugs

 

Nice Blue C3!
So far, looks like most/all of your To-Do List entails items that can be done at your leisure (nothing safety or mechanically risky in nature).
I have that same replacement steering wheel, and I do like it better.
The stock wheel is thinner and harder on the rim to grip, so it made for uncomfortable cruising.
The larger diameter also made a little more of a thigh squeeze to get in and out.
Down side of the smaller wheel is a minor increase in turning efforts, also a little more gauge obscuration.

Enjoy your new passion!

 

Welcome to the forum and congrats on finding your C3.
Beautiful car and I believe they look best in blue or black.
In the pictures it appears to be in great condition.
You mentioned a possible transmission leak???
Does it have power steering?
If so; Lift the front and properly place a couple of jack stands at the approved areas on the frame for safety.
Crawl under the front end and look at the the power steering hoses.
Take notice of the area around the slave cylinder (looks like a sideways mounted shock) and check for leaks.
The power steering fluid is the same color as trans fluid and it is very common to have leaks in the power steering system.
Going down the road the fluid will blow back and could be dripping off the trans.
One big safety issue when buying a classic car is to check the manufacture dates on your tires.
Even though they look good, with no cracks in the sidewalls and good tread, if they are older than about 5 years, replace them as soon as possible.
Having a blow out on dated tires is common.
Enjoy your new toy.

 

Wow!! What a beautiful Vette. 72 is a great year.
I will second on the tires.. My tires looked like new but they were old.. The rubber hardened up and in one case a chunk of the tire came off!! Also the ride was terrible.
So I ordered F70-15 redlines (radial tires) from Coker.
Have fun with your awesome Vette.

 

Congratulations on a beautiful 71 Corvette...! Could be my 71’s twin... Mine is also Bridgehampton Blue w/blue interior automatic with the original 350/270hp engine. You will see how mucho joy and conversation your Corvette provokes... Enjoy it! You are a lucky guy, as am I, and all the other C3 owners here...

 

Congratulations and welcome to Corvette Forum! I can tell how excited you are through your writing. That's awesome!

FWIW, I seem to get that you are interested in keeping this car as close to stock and original as you can. Maybe? With this in mind, you might be best-served to consider joining your local NCRS chapter and either having it judged or at least submitting it for a review at an upcoming chapter meeting. This experience will teach you tons on your new baby and you'll not only get some advice on details of the car but you'll meet and mix with a bunch of fellow enthusiasts that would love to help you (that is if you want the help).

Temperature gauge: Check wiring to the sending unit first. You'll find the sender on the LH cylinder head. A single wire with asphalt insulation runs from the sender to the gauge.

Hope this helps...

 

Beautiful car! Welcome to the family...and the madness...

Good luck with the minor cosmetic repairs etc... its all pretty easy to fix.

You live in THE perfect place to have a classic Vette.... I'd be up on Mulholland running the snake right about now in that thing.

 

Thank you for the advice and ideas DC3! I hope to get in there and take a look at the temp gauge this weekend. I'm in no rush to replace the interior and since I don't drive in the rain I'm not too concerned right now with the weatherstripping. I've read that good weatherstripping also cuts down on wind noise, but I cruise around with the windows down and soon I'll take a trip with the tops off and the rear window out too. I'm sure I will uncover and identify (with this forum member's help) other issues that will take priority.

 

Thanks brit vet!

I appreciate you indicating where to look - as a newbie it's very helpful!

 

Thank you!